A fire forces a popular Sioux City chicken restaurant to close its doors.

Fire officials have started their investigation into a fire at Sneaky's Chicken on Gordon Drive in Sioux City. Employees have gathered to see what's next for them and the restaurant.

"I was shocked," says Dave Ferris, the owner of Sneaky's Chicken. "I didn't really realize what was going on until I saw the intensity of it."

Dave Ferris owns Sneaky's Chicken. The fire started while he worked inside.

"We started smelling something and we didn't think much of it because everyone once in a while if you spill something in the oven, but pretty soon my phone rang and it was my daughter. She was actually pulling into the back of the lot and the whole back of the building was engulfed," says Ferris.

He and his employees made it out safely, but they watched the fire grow.

"We got water on the fire quickly. We were not hampered by any frozen hydrants or anything like that luckily. Everything worked smoothly this morning," says mark Aesoph, the Sioux City Fire Marshal.

Dave says it's hard to see his business of 37 years take a hit like this.

"It's tough but we are all safe everybody is good and healthy and the rest can be fixed," says Ferris.

Ferris says he's not sure how long the restaurant will be closed, but they hope to reopen as soon as possible. They are working to find another kitchen and another location that they can continue their catering business. He says none of those orders should be affected.

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Smoke and flames force employees to evacuate a long-time Sioux City restaurant.

Sneaky's Chicken is a popular chicken restaurant in town, but it'll be closed for the next few days after a fire earlier Monday.

Firefighters got the call at about 9:30 Monday morning.

And when they arrived, heavy smoke was coming from the back of the restaurant, in a shed area that was added on to the building.

Crews found the fire in that storage area, but the fire didn't reach the restaurant itself.

There were employees in the building at the time of the fire, but they made it out safely.

Fire officials say that despite the difficult conditions, they got the fire out quickly.

"Typically this time of year we have a lot of concerns with freezing conditions. This is one of the fires that went really well though, especially considering the circumstances. We got water on the fire quickly. We were not hampered by any frozen hydrants or anything like that, luckily. Everything worked smoothly this morning," says Mark Aesoph, the Sioux City Fire Marshal.

No word yet on what started the fire, or any estimates of damage.

They are just starting their investigation.

Also, since smoke from the fire filled the restaurant, the business will be closed today and until repairs can be made.

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Sioux City Fire Rescue was called to Sneaky's Chicken for a structure fire Monday morning.

Crews said the fire is out and they are unsure of a cause right now.

The restaurant will be closed for the rest of the day.

No injuries have been reported at this time.

Watch KTIV News Four at Noon for latest details.

Previous Story:

Around 9:30 a.m., Sioux City Fire Rescue was called to 3700 Gordon Drive for a structure fire.

Through twitter, crews first on the scene are reporting flames visible.

KTIV's Sarah Te Slaa is heading to the scene and will have more on News Four at Noon.